Uday drives Trade & Profitability for the company while managing Grocery Buying , Space Range Display
and Marketing.
He has a rich experience of more than two decades in the FMCG & modern retail industry, playing an
active role in the evolution of category management at STAR. He has worked with JL Morison, Fabmart
& Big Bazar, prior to joining Tata Group in 2004.
Uday holds a Masters in Management Studies from KJ Somaiya Institute of Management (Mumbai).

AD Singh is a known name in the fields of leisure and restaurants. Over the last twenty years, he has been at the forefront of the hospitality industry of the country. His existing restaurants and new ventures are well recognized and have received much critical acclaim, bolstering the credibility and goodwill of the Olive umbrella. He is credited with the introduction of international cuisines and restaurant concepts hitherto unseen in India.
Born in Delhi in 1960, AD moved to Bombay for academic pursuits. He attended school at Cathedral and John Connon, followed by Jai Hind and St Xavier’s College. A scholarship to study Electrical Engineering at Lafayette College, took him to the United States.

AD made his restaurant business debut in 1990 with Just Desserts, a jazz café that served only coffee and desserts. Filling a huge void in the casual dining space, the restaurant was a success and was described by India Today as the ‘phenomenon of the nineties’. In 1993, AD worked with Jazz musicians and used Jazz as a property to market and develop the Guest Line Hotel and the Ripon Club. This period also saw a series of seaside jazz events that are remembered even today. 1995 saw AD conceptualize and create the very successful Jazz by the Bay for the Narang Group. In 1996 he opened Copa Cabaana the hugely popular Latin American bar in Bombay that is also credited with introducing Tapas to Bombay.

In 1998, he opened Soul Kadi and Soul Fry, which serve home-style coastal cuisine in an international cafe setting. The latter opened to rave reviews in South Bombay recently.

The Bowling Company, opened in 1999, set the standards for leisure in this country. In a sense, AD changed the perception of Central Mumbai to an up-market entertainment destination, and along with Alyque Padamsee, has been instrumental in the growth and success of this part of the city. In 2000, The Bowling Company underwent a successful private placement.

In the same year, AD Singh launched The Olive Bar and Kitchen which was voted as one of Bombay’s top five and India’s top 20 restaurants by an Outlook survey. This was followed by the opening of Suzie Wong, Bombay’s first floating bar – off Marine Drive.

In his first foray out of Mumbai in 2003, AD opened the Olive Bar and Kitchen in New Delhi, which was selected among the ‘best new restaurants in the world’. (Conde Nast Traveler Annual Hotlist 2004).

In 2005, the brand expanded with the launch of Olive Beach in Bangalore. Now in its 10th year, the restaurant and bar set in an elegant old villa transforms itself to bring forth a stunning new experience with a new alfresco lounge bar and a spacious yet intimate dining space.

Over the years, under the leadership of AD, Olive has grown into much more than a restaurant, becoming a way of life, a melting pot where life imitates art, and often, the other way around.

Having opened its doors several times to the art, fashion and literary fraternity in the past, AD’s vision for the Olive brand is committed to creating and hosting events that serve as platforms to showcase different forms – always celebrated amid fun, laughter, cocktails and conversation. This has contributed to Olive becoming one of the most popular and best-loved restaurant brands in the country, winning numerous awards and accolades across Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore.

Over the years, AD Singh has sought to constantly steer the Olive brand further in his quest for bringing forth a warm, cosy dining experience of high standards for its patrons.

Since 1990 he has encouraged the growth of the ‘stand alone’ restaurant business in India, giving it direction, confidence, leadership and definition.

Olive Bistro embodies the spirit of Olive in a more affordable and casual avatar. In mid 2013 Olive Bistro opened in Hyderabad followed by Gurgaon at the end of 2013. In 2015 Olive Bistro opened in Goregaon, Mumbai.

Other ventures by AD Singh under the Olive umbrella include Guppy by ai that opened in New Delhi in August 2013 in a lovely new space as a contemporary Japanese bar whose kitchen is a playful wonderland in a modern setting. Guppy by ai has now arrived in Mumbai with a fresh, new approach of a pop-up at Olive Mahalaxmi.

In December 2013, AD launched SodaBottleOpenerWala at Cyber Hub in Gurgaon. It is an ode to the dying legacy of a Bombay Irani cafe and has gained much critical acclaim since its launch. October 2014 saw the opening of SodaBottleOpenerWala at Khan Market New Delhi and in April 2015 the brand went national with openings in Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Noida.

2013 also saw growth, expansion and investments in new concepts through strategic associations and partnerships by AD. These include The Local in South Mumbai – an easy, comfortable, neighborhood bar that offers delectable food, drinks, music and the happy go lucky, hedonistic lifestyle that Mumbai is best known for.

In 2015, he launched yet another concept restaurant Ek Bar at Defence Colony, Delhi; the new Indian Cocktail Bar serving a modern menu, inspired by regional Indian cuisine. Ek Bar pays homage to the art of story-telling. The promise of possibilities in ‘once upon a time’, ek bar. Tales that live in our memory, deeply connected with taste, aroma and flavours.
Partnered associations include Monkey Bar, India’s first gastropub with a presence both in Bangalore and Delhi and The Fatty Bao, an Asian gastro-bar that is a love child of two fabulous ideas – new Asian-style dining and a cool rooftop bar. The newest addition to the Olive group is Toast and Tonic in Bengaluru. Launched in February, 2016 it is the hippest new bar in town. With Toast and Tonic, the original Monkey Bar returns in a new avatar drenched in East Village chic and full of surprises.
AD entered the industry at a very nascent stage. Owing to his limitations of formal training and financial backing he relied on creativity and ideas to build restaurant brands. He then backed these with hard work, warmth and innovation and that has been the trademark of his success over the years.

AD Singh is a known name in the fields of leisure and restaurants. Over the last twenty years, he has been at the forefront of the hospitality industry of the country. His existing restaurants and new ventures are well recognized and have received much critical acclaim, bolstering the credibility and goodwill of the Olive umbrella. He is credited with the introduction of international cuisines and restaurant concepts hitherto unseen in India.
Born in Delhi in 1960, AD moved to Bombay for academic pursuits. He attended school at Cathedral and John Connon, followed by Jai Hind and St Xavier’s College. A scholarship to study Electrical Engineering at Lafayette College, took him to the United States.

AD made his restaurant business debut in 1990 with Just Desserts, a jazz café that served only coffee and desserts. Filling a huge void in the casual dining space, the restaurant was a success and was described by India Today as the ‘phenomenon of the nineties’. In 1993, AD worked with Jazz musicians and used Jazz as a property to market and develop the Guest Line Hotel and the Ripon Club. This period also saw a series of seaside jazz events that are remembered even today. 1995 saw AD conceptualize and create the very successful Jazz by the Bay for the Narang Group. In 1996 he opened Copa Cabaana the hugely popular Latin American bar in Bombay that is also credited with introducing Tapas to Bombay.

In 1998, he opened Soul Kadi and Soul Fry, which serve home-style coastal cuisine in an international cafe setting. The latter opened to rave reviews in South Bombay recently.

The Bowling Company, opened in 1999, set the standards for leisure in this country. In a sense, AD changed the perception of Central Mumbai to an up-market entertainment destination, and along with Alyque Padamsee, has been instrumental in the growth and success of this part of the city. In 2000, The Bowling Company underwent a successful private placement.

In the same year, AD Singh launched The Olive Bar and Kitchen which was voted as one of Bombay’s top five and India’s top 20 restaurants by an Outlook survey. This was followed by the opening of Suzie Wong, Bombay’s first floating bar – off Marine Drive.

In his first foray out of Mumbai in 2003, AD opened the Olive Bar and Kitchen in New Delhi, which was selected among the ‘best new restaurants in the world’. (Conde Nast Traveler Annual Hotlist 2004).

In 2005, the brand expanded with the launch of Olive Beach in Bangalore. Now in its 10th year, the restaurant and bar set in an elegant old villa transforms itself to bring forth a stunning new experience with a new alfresco lounge bar and a spacious yet intimate dining space.

Over the years, under the leadership of AD, Olive has grown into much more than a restaurant, becoming a way of life, a melting pot where life imitates art, and often, the other way around.

Having opened its doors several times to the art, fashion and literary fraternity in the past, AD’s vision for the Olive brand is committed to creating and hosting events that serve as platforms to showcase different forms – always celebrated amid fun, laughter, cocktails and conversation. This has contributed to Olive becoming one of the most popular and best-loved restaurant brands in the country, winning numerous awards and accolades across Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore.

Over the years, AD Singh has sought to constantly steer the Olive brand further in his quest for bringing forth a warm, cosy dining experience of high standards for its patrons.

Since 1990 he has encouraged the growth of the ‘stand alone’ restaurant business in India, giving it direction, confidence, leadership and definition.

Olive Bistro embodies the spirit of Olive in a more affordable and casual avatar. In mid 2013 Olive Bistro opened in Hyderabad followed by Gurgaon at the end of 2013. In 2015 Olive Bistro opened in Goregaon, Mumbai.

Other ventures by AD Singh under the Olive umbrella include Guppy by ai that opened in New Delhi in August 2013 in a lovely new space as a contemporary Japanese bar whose kitchen is a playful wonderland in a modern setting. Guppy by ai has now arrived in Mumbai with a fresh, new approach of a pop-up at Olive Mahalaxmi.

In December 2013, AD launched SodaBottleOpenerWala at Cyber Hub in Gurgaon. It is an ode to the dying legacy of a Bombay Irani cafe and has gained much critical acclaim since its launch. October 2014 saw the opening of SodaBottleOpenerWala at Khan Market New Delhi and in April 2015 the brand went national with openings in Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Noida.

2013 also saw growth, expansion and investments in new concepts through strategic associations and partnerships by AD. These include The Local in South Mumbai – an easy, comfortable, neighborhood bar that offers delectable food, drinks, music and the happy go lucky, hedonistic lifestyle that Mumbai is best known for.

In 2015, he launched yet another concept restaurant Ek Bar at Defence Colony, Delhi; the new Indian Cocktail Bar serving a modern menu, inspired by regional Indian cuisine. Ek Bar pays homage to the art of story-telling. The promise of possibilities in ‘once upon a time’, ek bar. Tales that live in our memory, deeply connected with taste, aroma and flavours.
Partnered associations include Monkey Bar, India’s first gastropub with a presence both in Bangalore and Delhi and The Fatty Bao, an Asian gastro-bar that is a love child of two fabulous ideas – new Asian-style dining and a cool rooftop bar. The newest addition to the Olive group is Toast and Tonic in Bengaluru. Launched in February, 2016 it is the hippest new bar in town. With Toast and Tonic, the original Monkey Bar returns in a new avatar drenched in East Village chic and full of surprises.
AD entered the industry at a very nascent stage. Owing to his limitations of formal training and financial backing he relied on creativity and ideas to build restaurant brands. He then backed these with hard work, warmth and innovation and that has been the trademark of his success over the years.

Jamshed S. Daboo is currently the Managing Director at Trent Hypermarket Pvt Ltd. Prior to joining Trent Hypermarket, Daboo was Head – Consumer Finance and Advisory Business at Tata Capital Limited.

He has also served as Chief Operating Officer of various divisions at Indian Hotels Co. Ltd. As Chief Executive Officer at Tata Quality Management Services, he spearheaded the Tata Business Excellence Model, a group-wide initiative aimed at business
excellence.

He has also worked at Titan Industries Limited in various functions. Daboo joined the Tata Administrative Service in 1986 and has been with the Tata Group for over 25 years.

Sukanto joined Philips Lighting in May 2014 and currently manages the Prof Sales business for Philips Lighting India. The Prof Sales business works with B2G and B2B customers providing energy efficient and intelligent lighting solutions. Some of the lighting solutions provided by the team include Smart City Lighting solutions, Intelligent building Lighting Management System etc.

.

Sukanto has worked as part of Enterprise / B2B business teams across several companies like Bharti Airtel, Tata DoCoMo, HCL Group and Times of India Group in several capacities.

Sukanto is an Electrical Engineer and he has done his Post Graduation in Management from IIM – Calcutta.

rom Melbourne Australia – I have worked in FMCG for over 12 years across Mars Chocolate and Mondelez international across multiple categories, Chocolate, Spreads, dairy, salad dressings, biscuits etc. During my career I have worked in marketing, Category and sales. For the last 6 years I have been managing Modern trade accounts in Australia and New Zealand like Coles, Woolworths, Countdown, Aldi and Metcash

Arunabh Das is currently Head Merchandising – FMCG with Future Retail Limited (EasyDay Sores) where he has been working since 2007. He has been in leadership positions in Merchandising and Sales with Bharti & Future groups and is credited with setting up the non food FMCG business for EasyDay operations. Withextensive experience across Retail, FMCG & Service Industries, Arunabh has led many successful teams as well as startup operations in other stints of his career. He is a Graduate from the University of Delhi and an alumnus of the Institute of Management Technology. Arunabh loves travelling and biking in offbeat and extreme locations is one of his passions. He is also an accomplished trekker and his current endeavour is to crack the 25000 ft Kang Yatse 2 summit, whenever he gets the opportunity.

Arun Khattar, CEO, Needs Supermart Pvt Ltd., a chain of 20 supermarkets and convenience stores in Gurgaon. Having 32 years of marketing and administrative experience in Petrochemicals, Textiles and Retail. Managing the Needs chain for the last 12 years.

He is a management graduate of the 1995 batch of North Maharashtra University. A hard core marketing professional with over 2 decades of experience across leading brands like Uncle Chipps, Maxwell Apparels, Excelcia Foods and is currently working in the capacity of Category Head with M/s Parle Products.
He joined Parle in 2001 as a Product Manager responsible for a mix of biscuits and Confectionery brands. He was instrumental for the launch of successful brands Kaccha Mango Bite, Magix cream biscuits and the recently launched BakeSmith English Marie and Mexitos Nacho Chips.
He is now steering the Snacks, Confy , Cakes & Rusk portfolio at Parle.

Dr. Sanu Jacob is working as Joint Director in the Export Inspection Agency, Mumbai (under Export Inspection Council, Ministry of Commerce and Industry).
Previously, he worked as faculty in the department of Food Sciences and Technology at Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS), Kochi. He obtained his Ph.D. from University of Milan (UNIMI), Italy (2004-07), with postdoctoral research experience from Groupe-ESA, Angers, France (2007-09); POLIMI, Milan, Italy (2009) and Dalhousie University, Truro, Canada (2010-11).
He was awarded visiting scientist grant twice from the EU-COST to carry out research work at Wageningen University, Netherlands (2007) and Katholieke Universiteit, Leuven, Belgium (2008).
He was a recipient of MASHAV fellowship twice (2003 and 2015) from the Israel government and NFP fellowship (2016) from the Netherlands government for pursuing advanced agricultural courses in Israel and Ghana, respectively.
He is a member of International Society for Horticultural Sciences (ISHS) and International Food Safety and Quality Network (IFSQN). In India, he is life member of Association of Food Scientists and Technologists (India) [AFSTi], Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA) and Kerala Academy of Sciences (KAS).
Dr. Jacob has expertise in agricultural postharvest biology and technology, in which he has guided the research work of many M.Sc. students. He has given invited lectures in various forum and has published national and international peer-reviewed articles on this subject.

Shalini Chakravorty is Vice-President, Compliance, Walmart Asia. She has over 17 years of experience across industries.
In her current role at Walmart, Shalini is responsible for driving and implementing Compliance policies and procedures in China, Japan and India markets. Shalini provides the direction and formulates strategizes based on overall compliance objectives, analysis and priorities to address risks. She works with Walmart’s global functions, such as Legal, Finance, Human Resources and Internal Audit to develop a pro-active, problem-solving approach to create a culture of integrity and compliance.
She joined Walmart in 2013 and prior to this she worked as Country Manager – Hill & Associates where she advised senior management of large number of conglomerates on managing corporate risks related to integrity risks, people’s risks and internal control risks.
She was awarded Business Leader – Commendable Young Women 2016 by ICAI.
Shalini is an alumni of INSEAD, France and holds a bachelor’s degree in Commerce. She is a certified fraud examiner and a fellow member of the esteemed Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE). She is an associate membership of Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (equivalent to CPA.

Ashwani Sharma is Chief Merchandising Officer of Walmart India. He has played a pivotal role in developing the Cash & Carry Business for Walmart in India. Ashwani began his career with Walmart India in March 2008, as DMM – Non Food for Best Price Modern Wholesale Stores, owned and operated by Walmart India.

He has an extensive experience of over 25 years in General Management, Strategy, Buying & Merchandising, Sales & Marketing in Retail/Wholesale, Consumer Goods & Consumer Electronics & Durables domains.

Prior to joining Walmart India, Ashwani held a number of roles with Abans Ltd, Shoppers Stop, Whirlpool India and DCM Ltd. In his role as Chief Operating Officer at Abans Ltd., a leading Sri Lankan Business house, he was instrumental in launching new retail formats for the group, besides, driving significant growth in their retail & service business. He began his career under the prestigious ‘Senior Management Trainee’ program with DCM Ltd.

He holds a Master’s Degree in Business Management from Faculty of Management Studies, Shimla.

An astute professional; Food Technologist, LLB & Science Graduate from top class Institutes of India; having 27+ years wide and rich experience in most reputed MNC Food Products Manufacturing Companies.
Expertise in Manufacturing, SPC tools, New Product development support, Implementation and governance of GFSI Food safety Assurance Systems , Regulatory compliances.
Heading Quality Assurance function for McDonald’s India since past 8 years with focus on core QA Strategy : Brand Trust and Food image enhancement and improvement of Customer satisfaction thru a) Building Robust Quality & Food safety and Regulatory compliance system across the supply chain and b) Resource development planning.

She is currently the head of nutrition and dietetics department at a multispecialty hospital in Mumbai (India) and is also the founder director of Institute of nutrition and health research (INHR) for promotion of nutrition education amongst medical and nutrition professionals.

After completing her PhD in nutrition she visited Mount Sinai Hospital, Chicago, Illinois, (U.S.A); Washington County Hospital, Hagerstown, Maryland, (U.S.A); Robin wood Endocrine Clinic, Hagerstown, Maryland, (U.S.A); Williamsport Family Practice Clinic, Hagerstown, Maryland, (U.S.A) to gain experience as a clinical observer. She earned a certificate in Lifestyle medicine by department of continuing education- Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA

She is a bestselling author in nutrition and authored ‘Eat right to stay bright’ Manage diet to manage disease & Diet, Diabetes & You book and Diet, Diabetes and Tamhe. She is also an editor of a popular nutrition newsletter titled Nutrition and lifestyle bulletin.
In her career of more than a decade (16 yrs) she has published numerous research papers in both national and international journals and is an acting research guide (Post graduation students) and co guide for PhD students.

A University and college topper who won numerous gold medals for being an outstanding student and an all rounder. Also won “Emerald literati highly recommended award” for best research paper in nutrition research, 2006, U.K (2007).

She has also got opportunities to work with community through NGOs Unicef, I-India and CARE and also with top corporate in the country for preventive health. She has been a popular book review critic in nutrition and has reviewed books of popular authors in this field.

She’s been the KOL, nutrition evangelist and a media spokesperson in nutrigenomics and anutrigrnomics advisor on board Xcelris labs, omega 3 fatty acids, dietary fats and many more. She is on the board on various companies – nutraceuticals, FMCG and companies with health products, wellness companies – corporate health (both national & international) for promotion of ethical practices in nutrition and promotion of preventive health. She is also an editor for an international journal of diabetes. She provides consultancy to start up companies in the space of nutrition. She is featured regularly on CARE TV- the health channel and nutrition opinions to print media like Times of India, Hindustan Times, Mid-day and DNA. She has been featured in top 100 successful professional women in a community magazine, 2014.

Entrepreneur Vikrant Batra, an established stalwart in the Indian Food and Beverage Industry, is the mind and force behind the ingenious concepts of his stand-alone ventures. A graduate from Hindu College, Delhi University, Mr. Batra has completed a Restaurant Management course from the University of California. He completed his MBA from Fore School of Management. Starting off by working in his inherited business at Batra Banquet, Mr. Batra opened his first Delhi Heights Restaurant in Rajouri Garden in 2009.

In 2011, he inaugurated Café Delhi Heights, which currently has six outlets at Cyber Hub, Gurgaon, Ambience Mall, Gurgaon, Crosspoint, Gurgaon, Dlf Promenade, Vasant Kunj, DLF Place, Saket, IGI Airport Terminal 1D and now at Sangam Courtyard, R.K.Puram. In his words, “Delhi has witnessed the rule of many Emperors from varied cultures and regions of the world. Therefore it has adopted all kinds of traits in its culture. Food being an integral part of that adaption, we at CDH have tried to encapsulate all those flavours giving you the look and feel of the capital in its totality.” He plans to take this legacy forward by making it a global venture. Mr. Batra is expanding his business on both national and international levels. He plans to take forward his Café in various parts of the country. He has definitely proved to be someone who can be looked up to, as an inspiration in every way. He did not cease to expand his ideologies and businesses till the Cafe’s, but advanced further with global restaurants and banquets. He is a bonafide meticulous man with great dignity, whose ambition in life to serve people has reached the zenith.

Proving his go-getter attitude, he opened Palm Springs, a state-of-the-art boutique hotel in Naraina in 2013. Also, he has started Terminus 1, which is one of its kind fusion restaurants, providing different varieties of food from 17 countries. Currently there’s one outlet at Ambience Mall, Vasant Kunj where he is experimenting with this new concept and if successful, he plans to open more soon.

Vikrant Batra is a passionate Entrepreneur, who enjoys making people happy with his food and loves when people leave his outlets with a fulfilling contended smile on their faces.

Recent achievements :
1) Café Delhi Heights Won “Best Cafe” award at the Indian Restaurant Awrads 2015.

2) Cafe Delhi Heights won the “Top Voted Choice for Burgers” at Zomato Summit 2015.

3) Cafe Delhi Heights won “Best Cafe” Award at the “Gurgaon Foodie Awards 2015”.

4) Café Delhi Heights won “Best Burger Place in Delhi/NCR” by “India Lifestyle Awards”.

5) Café Delhi Heights won “Best Burgers in Delhi / NCR” by “Mouthshut.com”.

6) Café Delhi Heights won the “Eat Treat Burger Hunt” in Non-Veg category

7) Café Delhi Heights won 1st Runners Up in “India Food Forum Awards” to Dunkin Donuts (An Internationally identified brand)

8) Café Delhi Heights won the “Retailers Choice Award” at DLF Promenade.

9) Café Delhi Heights won “Best Burgers in Town for the Year 2016” at the Eazy Diner Foodie Awards

10) Cafe Delhi Heights won “Best Cafe With Alcohol” (Jury & Popular Choice) at the Big F Awards 2016.

11)Mr. Vikrant Batra won “Restaurateur of the Year” at the Big F Awards 2016.

Vallabh is a FMCG & Retail veteran with over 24 years experience working with reputed organisations like Wipro consumers,Dabur India, Revlon, Godrej agrovet, Aditya Birla Retail & Reliance. His core competence is buying & merchandising, shopper insights, Sales, Branch management & supply chain.

He worked as Merchandise Director-FMCG with Aditya Birla Retail in his last assignment.

Currently he is Business Head FMCG in Reliance Retail.

She is currently the head of nutrition and dietetics department at a multispecialty hospital in Mumbai (India) and is also the founder director of Institute of nutrition and health research (INHR) for promotion of nutrition education amongst medical and nutrition professionals.

After completing her PhD in nutrition she visited Mount Sinai Hospital, Chicago, Illinois, (U.S.A); Washington County Hospital, Hagerstown, Maryland, (U.S.A); Robin wood Endocrine Clinic, Hagerstown, Maryland, (U.S.A); Williamsport Family Practice Clinic, Hagerstown, Maryland, (U.S.A) to gain experience as a clinical observer. She earned a certificate in Lifestyle medicine by department of continuing education- Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA

She is a bestselling author in nutrition and authored ‘Eat right to stay bright’ Manage diet to manage disease & Diet, Diabetes & You book and Diet, Diabetes and Tamhe. She is also an editor of a popular nutrition newsletter titled Nutrition and lifestyle bulletin.
In her career of more than a decade (16 yrs) she has published numerous research papers in both national and international journals and is an acting research guide (Post graduation students) and co guide for PhD students.

A University and college topper who won numerous gold medals for being an outstanding student and an all rounder. Also won “Emerald literati highly recommended award” for best research paper in nutrition research, 2006, U.K (2007).

She has also got opportunities to work with community through NGOs Unicef, I-India and CARE and also with top corporate in the country for preventive health. She has been a popular book review critic in nutrition and has reviewed books of popular authors in this field.

She’s been the KOL, nutrition evangelist and a media spokesperson in nutrigenomics and anutrigrnomics advisor on board Xcelris labs, omega 3 fatty acids, dietary fats and many more. She is on the board on various companies – nutraceuticals, FMCG and companies with health products, wellness companies – corporate health (both national & international) for promotion of ethical practices in nutrition and promotion of preventive health. She is also an editor for an international journal of diabetes. She provides consultancy to start up companies in the space of nutrition. She is featured regularly on CARE TV- the health channel and nutrition opinions to print media like Times of India, Hindustan Times, Mid-day and DNA. She has been featured in top 100 successful professional women in a community magazine, 2014.

Sohrab Sitaram is one of the most widely recognized names in the Indian hospitality industry. He has over time strengthened his foothold in the restaurant industry.

Sohrab’s talent for ideation and thorough knowledge of the business is one of the reasons behind the current Keventers brand. As Director & CEO of Keventers, he has a leadership role in all the projects and pre-operations stage of all the outlets in and outside India. With a deep understanding of the hospitality business – Both in terms of operations and processes Sohrab has taken Keventers to Nepal and is all set to launch new outlets in Kenya and parts of South East Asia. Under Sohrab’s supervision Keventers has followed franchisee model through which they gave the franchise to many distributors in all over the country. Keventers now has more than 50 franchises with 10+ company-owned outlets in the different parts of the country.

He has been instrumental in setting up some of the most exclusive and successful restaurants and bars around town. Tabula Rasa, TabulaBeach The Hungry Monkey, Chi Kitchen & Bar, Zingo star etc are a few of the restaurants, where he has lent his expertise and vision and has been instrumental in establishing these properties. With over 16 years of experience in the Food & Beverage Industry, Sohrab Sitaram has donned various roles from that of an investor as well as a consultant.
​
Prior to entering the hospitality business, he worked with the Taj Group for over 6 years. Sohrab’s
restaurants play hosts to some of the most successful socialites, celebrities, Bollywood stars, TV stars, sports personalities, fashion designers, models, CEO’s, industrialists and politicians. He is a pioneer in the stand-alone restaurant field. He has always strived to be a leader in the
lifestyle segment and casual dining restaurants through their various extremely strong USP – be it a lounge bar, small plate dining, restaurants with positive energies and good chi and restaurants which are based on technology and R&D.

An Operations specialist with in-depth knowledge of Food and Beverage. Has lead dynamic teams to deliver measured results.

With a career history spanning more than 2 decades, an Alumnus of Hotel Management, Reynold has served in various capacities in different industries, from 5 star Hotels to the Aviation Industry, Retail and Consulting.

From being Vice President &General Manager at East India Hotels Ltd (Oberoi Flight Services) , India’s leading hospitality brand to serving Jet Airways India Ltd, India’s leading airline brand, as General Manager, Catering and DGM-Business Strategy. Reliance Retail Mumbai he has been at the helm of affairs

Nandan is a BITS Pilani alumnus and has previously worked as a consultant and has built another start-up around a tablet-based POS for restaurants. He has been part of the core management team at SourcePilani, India’s first rural BPO.

Prior to starting Swiggy, Nandan and Harsha were previously building a logistics platform called Bundl (shut down in June 2014) and were very excited by the potential of hyperlocal delivery while tracking the space. When they decided to shut down Bundl, they knew that they had to get into hyperlocal delivery and give it a shot. They also understood that ordering platforms for restaurants were very broken. Ordering food has always been a big hassle, they decided to take the plunge and fix it with Swiggy!

From the Indian Foreign Service class of 1973, Deepak Vohra was India’s senior-most Ambassador

He has studied at the most prestigious Universities in India and overseas including St Stephen’s College, National Defence College and Sorbonne University, Paris

His academic record is outstanding: first in School, first in College, first among the men in the Indian Foreign Service, first in the training programme at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, first at the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade

He taught at St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University from 1972-73

Among India’s most loved television figures he was short-listed by a woman’s magazine as one of the “most sensational personalities” in India. He has acted in commercial films

He has served in France, Vietnam, Tunisia, United States, Nigeria, Cameroon, Benin, Chad, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Spain, Armenia, Georgia, Sudan, Poland and Lithuania

He was Officer on Special Duty to the Technology Adviser to the Prime Minister of India

Ambassador Vohra spent two years with Sulabh International, the world’s largest NGO dealing with sanitation and is the author of best-selling books. He is the only Indian official with experience in the academic, Governmental and NGO sectors

He has specialized in developmental issues for emerging nations. In October 2005, Armenia awarded him a gold medal for his contribution to Armenian agriculture and named a school after him. Sudan gave him its highest civilian honour

He has travelled widely in Africa, living in villages and small towns, mingling with the people. In 2006, he was made Prince of an African tribe. No Indian official understands Africa better than he does

He has vast international experience having represented India at several conferences

Ankur is a consumer goods industry professional having dedicated more than 20 years of his professional life to the sector. Ankur’s experience spans across Consumer Goods industry in Multiple Sales Channels including Organised Retail, Cash & Carry, Delivered Wholesale, B2B, Distributors and High Frequency Stores (convenience) in markets including Europe, Middle East, Asia, Africa, US & Latin America. He has worked with and advised both domestic and Fortune 500 companies in more than 50 countries and has led capability development programs for more than 1000 hours.

With a strong background of over 20 years with companies such as Kantar Retail, Accenture, Procter & Gamble and ICI, his main areas of expertise include Sales Strategy and Route to Market, Sales Planning and Execution, Consumer & Shopper, Trade Promotions & Trade Investment Management, Distributor Selection and Management and Integrated Business Planning.

He has been recognized amongst the Top influencers in the industry across geographies, the latest one being mentioned as amongst the 100 Talented Retail Professionals in 2015 by Asia Retail Congress. Ankur is a part of leading retail events/ forums and academic institutions as a speaker and visiting faculty. He is also a guest lecturer at the University of London.

Ankur holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration from Leicester Business School, UK and a Bachelor’s Degree from University of Delhi, India.

Ankur is mainly based out of Berkshire, UK and often splits his time between UK and India.

Ajay Gupta, Managing Director of Capital Foods, is a foodie confined in a marketing, sales, distribution head’s body. 25+ years of a range of experiences across Advertising, Marketing & Distribution eventually led him to Manufacturing of Food Products to set up one of the fastest growing brands in the Food Processing Industry under Capital Foods.

From setting up an Advertising Agency that he ran for over 10 years winning a wide buffet of awards to launching brands including Mother’s Recipe, Sheetal, Kala Niketan in the local & international market, it was his passion for food that led him to cook up Capital Foods in 1996 and launch Ching’s Secret. India’s 1st Desi Chinese packaged food brand besides Smith & Jones that focused on International & Continental Cuisine and Raji with Indian Cuisine. He also ventured into Ready to Eat Frozen Foods with Currie Classic in the Domestic Market and Swad, Anarkali brands overseas.

Innovation & risk taking always drove everything he did which led to experimenting, innovations across products, packaging, pricing and of course marketing. Disruption driving every big business leap in the category making large competitors take notice. But more importantly helped consumers connect with the brands very strongly.

An extremely hands on leader, Ajay travels 15 to 20 days a month in the market – from Rae Bareli to figure deeper market penetrations with his magic Ching’s Schezwan Chutney to Portofino in Italy to figure new recipes and innovations in food. In his free time, if any he’s busy rustling up new recipes if not eating them!

Kapil Kohli is the Vice President and Head for Retail Business, India for USHA International, one of India’s leading Consumer Durables Company. He was instrumental in step by step building of the retail infrastructure at USHA international by putting structure, processes and a robust team in place. Kapil is expected to build and grow the retail arm of USHA International by three fold in next two years.

Kapil joined USHA almost a year back, for heading the retail business division. He is an impeccable leader under whose leadership the retail business division of USHA International has grown by leaps & bounds. Kapil spearheaded the growth by expanding into regional retail, ecommerce & enhanced the company’s presence at modern retail outlets by using experiential marketing and sell out approach. Usha’s retail business has been leading the business growth since his joining. USHA company stores saw two digits growth under his leadership. USHA International is expected to at least double its retail foot print in the coming year.

Before USHA International, Kapil was part of Samsung India and wore several hats including Head – Home Appliances Modern Retail Business -Consumer Durables, National Sales Manager for Digital Imaging, Regional Product Group Head and Regional Sales Manager. Earlier he has worked with companies like Sony & Reliance

Kapil is an MBA graduate from the IIMT.

His hobbies are Travelling & Reading .

A Delhi University graduate from Kirori Mal College in commerce he saw an early need to become a lead player in Honey in the world. Driven by his passion and conviction in his belief and he was one of the few to receive a formal training in beekeeping and Honey processing from University of Warmia Olystyn Poland in Beekeeping and Honey testing with a formal training in collection and use of other Bee products like Pollen, Propolis, Bee Venom and Bee Bread which are extremely useful as a natural source for Protein, antiseptic, having immense healing powers for human being.

Slowly he built a global presence & a robust structure supported by a state of the art production factory in India to cater to the global markets.

His undeterred leadership and vision has led the company to reach the heights today in becoming a lead player in organized honey trade in the world

With his open leadership style he leads from the front and looks after the critical Sales, Marketing and Procurement functions of the company

Mr. Arvind Mediratta has been Managing Director of METRO Cash and Carry India Private Limited since February 2, 2016. Mr. Mediratta has proven work experience and expertise in handling general management, marketing and sales experience in consumer goods sector with top companies. He joined METRO Cash and Carry India Private Limited from Walmart USA, where he served as its Corporate Vice President of Merchandising. Prior to Walmart USA, he served as Chief Operating Officer of Walmart India , where he looked after all facets of cash and carry operations. He joined Walmart in April 2007. He served as Vice President of Marketing at Whirlpool of India Limited. He was employed with Procter and Gamble, Whirlpool, Yum! Restaurants International and Marico. He has been Director of METRO Cash and Carry India Private Limited since February 2, 2016. He holds B.Tech(Chem) and PGDM.

Kajal Bhatia is a certified Whole-Food Nutritionist and a Diabetes educator.

With a private practice of her own- KB Health, she has conducted several tailored corporate seminars and healthy cooking demos.

An avid half marathoner; Kajal has helped many national and state level sportspersons devise their customized nutritional plan to enhance their performance and health quotient .

Her corporate client base includes – Boston Consulting Group, Dun & Bradstreet, Fullerton India and many more.

She extends her services in different formats such as nutritional consultations, supermarket tours and has conducted over 103 nutritional workshops in Mumbai, Dubai and U.S.A.

Kajal is an awardee blogger and is also on board as a Nutritionist for the cold pressed juices RAW PRESSERY.

She realised there were truly few wholesome products to meet her clients’ needs and hence her to be launched healthy product line- EIGHTY20 will come up in February 2017.

She has supported the WFWH (Women for Women’s Health) India- an initiative for women to empower their health in Mumbai and Dubai.

Her love for writing and educating as many has brought to her credit various articles written by her and published in Mumbai Mirror, Mumbai Times, Good Food magazine, Salt magazine, Bombay Times, Air Asia, etc.

Gaurav is a F&B specialist and has worked with Oberois and ITC group in his career. He has set up most of the bars for ITC Group in Mumbai and till recently was heading the operations at Oberoi UdaiVilas at Udaipur. Earlier this year, he was nominated, and was the only one from India thus, for the Remy Martin world event at France. Gaurav has done his schooling from the prestigious Mayo College, Ajmer, and, Hospitality Management from Welcomgroup Graduate School of Hotel Administration, Manipal.

Devendra Chawla joined the Future Group in 2009 as the business head of private brands. Previously, he has served as the regional manager for Asian Paints nd Director of Area operations for The Coca-Cola Company. In 2011, Chawla became president of the Food & FMCG category of Future Group managing Food Bazaar. His articles on consumer insights have been featured in the Economic Times, Business Standard, Hindustan Times, and Campaign India. Recently, he was featured in Campaign India’s “The A List,” which includes notable marketing and advertising professionals of 2012.

Saugata joined Marico Ltd in January 2004 as head of Marketing. In 2007 he was elevated to become the CEO of the company&s India business. Prior to joining Marico, Saugata was Chief of Marketing and Group Sales at ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company. Saugata started his career with Cadbury& where he spent 9 years in various roles in Sales and Marketing in India and the United Kingdom. . Saugata has 20 years of experience primarily in the FMCG sector. He has an engineering degree from IIT Kharagpur and is an alumnus from IIM Bangalore.

Loves Agribusiness & Grocery retailing & has keen interest and follows shopper trends in all kinds of retail- was a topper in B.Sc. Agriculture and Post-Graduate Programme in Agribusiness Management (PGPABM) with sound experience of working in diversified geographies across multiple industries including Agri Input, Agri Output and Retail- brief experience at entrepreneurship when I i set up and ran two small exclusive fnv retail stores (1500 sft & 800 sft) in Hyderabad- Successfully handled a 1500 MT direct from farmers Apple procurement operation at Shimla for ITC Limited and was the State Head for Choupal Fresh Cash and Carry cum retail operation at Chandigarh
Fresh retail business excited me as it was dynamic, challenging & rewarding. It can also be a great differentiator in Supermarket business. Three facets of Heritage Fresh – the name, originality of the business model and focus on fresh category inspired me to take up the position of a category head in 2007 at Heritage Fresh. FnV Category is one of the most profitable categories at ‘Heritage Fresh’ delivering the best gross margin return on floor space and lowest dump n shrink among all organized competitors in supermarket format. Fresh category at ‘Heritage Fresh’ is well accepted by customers and is a benchmark for organized retailers in terms of quality, range. Fresh category delivers approximately 1/5th of total business at ‘Heritage Fresh’. Building loyalty and stickiness is very important for the success of Fresh category and this experience has helped me in my other role at Heritage Fresh as a Marketing Head for the entire retail business.